Developing comprehension of 'A Christmas Carol'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can answer a range of comprehension questions on ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Key learning points
- Retrieval involves identifying and extracting key information from the text.
- Searching for keywords or specific types of words can support readers in answering retrieval questions.
- When a reader infers, they use clues from the text and their own understanding to ‘read between the lines’.
- Inferring helps readers establish an impression of a character.
Keywords
Retrieval - Retrieval is finding key details or information in the text and extracting them.
Inference - Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.
Impression - An impression refers to initial feelings about a person, place or thing, gained from reading a text.
Common misconception
Children might confuse inference with prediction. While a good prediction relies on inference skills, inference does not always involve predicting.
Rehearse the definition of inference a number of times and accompany with as many relevant examples as necessary (like the example on slide 19).
Teacher tip
There are many different versions of the text that you can choose to read with your pupils. You could provide time for the pupils to watch the animated retelling of the story by Disney, which is suitable for the age group.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the adjectives to the character in 'A Christmas Carol'.
Q2.Which of the following is an appropriate definition of 'to retrieve'?
Q3.Who is the author of 'A Christmas Carol'?
Q4.Order the following events from Chapter 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'.
Q5.True or False? Fred gets angry with Scrooge's rudeness.
Q6.Why does Bob tremble when he asks Scrooge for more coal?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions.
Q2.True or False? In Chapter 1 of 'A Christmas Carol' the streets are covered with snow.
Q3.What is the relationship between Bob and Scrooge?
Q4.Which of the following can be helpful strategies to use when being asked to retrieve information?
Q5.What is inference sometimes referred to as?
Q6.True or False? The tingle Scrooge feels might suggest everything is about to change.
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Developing comprehension of 'A Christmas Carol', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Developing comprehension of 'A Christmas Carol', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the 'A Christmas Carol': narrative writing and reading unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.